"Solving the issue of a new constitution was one of the most important messages of November 1," he said in a televised speech in Ankara.
Erdogan, the strongman of Turkish politics for more than a decade, has long been pushing for a new constitution to replace a military-drafted charter and expand the powers of the presidency.
Earlier Wednesday, his spokesman said Turkey was considering holding a referendum on changing from a parliamentary to a presidential system.
But opponents fear it would put too much power in the hands of a leader they already consider too authoritarian.
Erdogan called on all political parties to work on new civilian constitution that would replace the 1980 charter drafted by the military after a coup.
"I hope they will sit down at the table and solve this issue," he said, adding that he had discussed it at a meeting with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Tuesday.
The Turkish president also vowed to press ahead with a military campaign against Kurdish militants after his ruling party swept back to power in a weekend election.
"The operations against the terrorist organisation inside and outside the country are continuing in a determined fashion," he said. "There will be no break. We will keep on."...
AFP
i24news.tv
4/11/15
--
-
Related:
GR
FR
DE
ES
IT
RU
EU
Presidential spokesperson addresses referendum for presidential system...
ReplyDeletePresidential spokesperson İbrahim Kalın addressed a referendum for a possible change to a powerful presidential system in Turkey.
“In the case of such an important issue, this debate cannot be considered apart from the nation. One would go to a referendum if the mechanism is so,” Kalın told reporters at a press conference on Nov. 4
Kalın stressed that this issue was not a situation about the fate of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, since “he is constitutionally already a powerful, strong leader and has passed onto history.”
The spokesperson stated that the debate on how the system would better work was beneficial for the country.
“A new assessment can be made taking the Nov. 1 elections into consideration,” he said.
In the upcoming months, this discussion would continue gaining momentum in a healthy way, Kalın added.
hurriyetdailynews.com
4/11/15
No change in objection to presidential system: HDP co-chair...
ReplyDeletePeoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş has said there was “no change” in his party’s stance opposing a transition of the Turkish government from the current parliamentarian system to a presidential one, nor was there any cause for such a shift.
“Turkey needs to get rid of the coup constitution of Kenan Evren. But holding the discussion on the basis of [a transition to a] presidential system is a wrong approach,” Demirtaş told a group of reporters in southeastern Diyarbakır province on Nov. 5, a reference to the current constitution from 1982 which is in effect a legacy of the Sept. 12, 1980, coup, led by the late Evren.
“A principally important matter needed to be discussed in regards to the constitution is the issue of fundamental human rights and freedoms,” Demirtaş said, a day after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan overtly presented the creation of a new constitution that would pave the way for a transition to a presidential system as the number-one item on the agenda of the newly elected legislature.
“We have offered a model of a reinforced democratic parliamentarian system and strong decentralization. There is no change in our party’s stance on this issue. There is nothing that requires such a change either...........http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/no-change-in-objection-to-presidential-system-hdp-co-chair.aspx?pageID=238&nID=90805&NewsCatID=338
5/11/15